O'Brien's sensational century helps Ireland to famous World Cup win over England

Kevin O'Brien smashed the fastest ever World Cup century off just 50 balls to inspire Ireland to a sensational World Cup victory over England in Bangalore.

England looked set for victory when they made 327-8 off their 50 overs, but some extraordinary big hitting from O'Brien saw them to a three wicket win.

It was triumph to trump Ireland's memorable win over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup.

If England's tie against India on Sunday was dramatic enough, this match probably threw up even more wonderful theatre.

Simply magnificent: Kevin O'Brien celebrates his amazing century in Bangalore

O'Brien (113) came to the crease when
damage limitation seemed the best his team could hope for, after they
lost three wickets for eight runs to falter to 111 for five in an
apparently vain pursuit of 327 for eight.

But he responded with an innings of
immense power, smashing six sixes and 13 fours in a 50-ball hundred and
dominating a stand of 162 in 17 overs with Alex Cusack (47).

Victory: John Mooney shouts as he celebrates Ireland's stunning win

No one in the England attack was
safe, with Graeme Swann (three for 47) the lucky one that he managed to
complete his full 10-over allocation before O'Brien began his assault in
earnest.

England did not help themselves,
dropping five catches in all, including O'Brien and Cusack once each. In
the end even O'Brien's run-out, trying to scamper a second run at the
start of the 49th over, could not stop Ireland getting home with five
balls to spare.

After O'Brien had very nearly
finished England off, John Mooney clipped the winning four to midwicket
in company with Trent Johnston.

Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81)
had been England's main batting contributors, the former also bagging a
place in cricket history as the joint-quickest batsman to 1,000 one-day
international runs.

But he was relegated from headline to
footnote by O'Brien's unexpected
heroics.

2003: Kenya beat Sri Lanka

1999: Bangladesh beat Pakistan

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1996: Kenya beat West Indies

Kenya skittled out the West Indies for an embarrassing 93 in 35.2 overs to seal a 73-run win.

Ireland's prospects of pulling off a
tournament record chase under lights appeared decidedly slim, and all
the more so after they lost captain Will Porterfield to the first ball
of their reply under lights. They needed a good start yet got the polar
opposite when Porterfield inside-edged an attempted cover-drive at a
wide ball from James Anderson back on to his stumps.

Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce gave
England, and Stuart Broad in particular, something to think about in a
second-wicket stand of 62. But Stirling got underneath a pull at Broad's
replacement Tim Bresnan and was caught at deep square-leg in the 10th
over.

Joyce then mis-pulled successive
Bresnan deliveries and could easily have gone to either, on 21. But
first of all, Anderson's lunge in from midwicket was not quick enough -
and then wicketkeeper Matt Prior spilled a high, swirling chance.

New batsman Niall O'Brien was dropped
on five at long-off, where Anderson parried a big hit at Swann for six.
The consolation for England seemed to be that a repeat of the fielding
mishaps they endured in their first match against Holland would surely
not matter too much.

So it still seemed when Niall O'Brien
missed a slog-sweep at Swann, who had a second wicket when Joyce went
up the pitch and was easily stumped after failing to cover the spin.

Vital runs: Alex Cusack made 47 for Ireland

Swann was in business again when Gary
Wilson was trapped lbw sweeping. But that merely brought O'Brien and
Cusack together for what turned out to be the match-turning partnership.

Many huge blows had already been
inflicted by the time Andrew Strauss dropped a tough skier, running back
behind the bowler from extra-cover after O'Brien brutalised a ball from
Paul Collingwood skywards on 91.

Looking good: Jonathan Trott on his way to making 92 for England

Cusack then escaped a tough
caught-and-bowled chance to Mike Yardy on 32. England finally got the
breakthrough when Cusack failed to regain his ground after a mix-up over
a single. But O'Brien knew he had done all the hard work, and was in no
mood to give England a route back into a match they had once appeared
to be coasting.

Trott had earlier passed his 1,000
ODI runs in only his 21st innings, apparently serving his team well with
an exact run-a-ball tempo. He shared a third-wicket stand of 167 with
Bell, after Kevin Pietersen (59) and Strauss had predictably got England
off to a blistering start.

Strauss, who won the toss, and
Pietersen immediately set about the opposition's new-ball pair Boyd
Rankin and Johnston. The in-form captain was first to go, after a stand
of 91 in less than 14 overs, when he tried to paddle-pull slow
left-armer George Dockrell off his stumps and was bowled round his legs.

Eye on the ball: Ian Bell batting for England in Bangalore

It was an odd shot, and Pietersen
also went tamely - soon after reaching his first half-century as an ODI
opener, from only 41 balls, when he attempted to reverse-sweep
off-spinner Stirling but somehow presented a simple catch to
wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien.

Trott and Bell therefore had to start
again, yet lost little noticeable momentum doing so. Neither gave a
chance, Trott profiting again from his risk-free accumulation to help
keep England above six-an-over almost throughout.

They got him eventually: William Porterfield, John Mooney and Niall O'Brien celebrate the wicket of Trott

He survived Bell, who chipped a full
toss low to a tumbling Stirling at straight midwicket off Mooney. There
were still 55 runs in powerplay. But after Trott also went short of his
hundred, bowled aiming a big hit at Mooney (four for 63), England
faltered and could manage only an under-par 70 in the last 10 overs.

Former Ireland captain Johnston kept
tight lines to bowl Prior and Yardy and become the first bowler to take
50 ODI wickets for his country.

England had ended their innings with a
whimper, but it seemed highly unlikely to cost them - until O'Brien's
muscular and mesmeric intervention.